Tech Hardware: Nvidia Dumps on Users Again

Posted on October 4, 2009 by ehurst

Over the past decade or so, fast 3D gamer display on your computer boils down to choosing either nVidia or ATI. Frankly, nVidia has had the edge most of that time. Competition has been pretty fierce, though, and now it seems nVidia is taking themselves too seriously. Slashdot reports a new “feature” of nVidia drivers, in which they refuse to work properly if it detects the presence of any other GPU on the system.

These days, it’s common for gamers and other hardware junkies to run multiple displays through multiple video cards, depending on different needs. For some time, it’s been possible to run nVidia for games, say, and maybe a Matrox for fonts. But with this new update, nVidia disables certain advanced hardware features if it finds the presence of any other brand of graphics processor.

This is just one more reason for Linux and BSD users to avoid nVidia. Some time ago, both ATI and nVidia required using their special software for us to get 3D acceleration. Then ATI gave up and released enough information and drivers to make it work without any extra steps. nVidia has continued forcing everyone to use their funky driver, all sealed to prevent anyone knowing what it does. Meanwhile, for quite some time, you could get as much 3D as Intel chips could offer, along with S3, Via, 3DFX (Voodoo), and everybody else. They were all quite willing to open up their hardware design so drivers could be written without guesswork. No, the other guys don’t compete that well ATI and nVidia for gaming, but otherwise you might never know the difference on Linux/BSD.

Let me add my voice to those advising this is yet one more reason to boycott nVidia hardware. When we matter to them, they’ll matter to us.

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Refuse to Cooperate and Tyranny Dies

Posted on October 3, 2009 by ehurst

From ancient times, philosophers have noted something which still seems to startle folks who didn’t think of it: If you don’t cooperate with the government, it’s no longer the government. While we recognize the power of the sword, that power is not absolute. There comes a point when the task of execution is too large for the resources. Enforcement won’t happen when some significant portion of the governed refuse to recognize their government. So any government which rests on the sword is always ripe for toppling. Any government which rests on love and respect is stronger than the sum of it’s resources.

Knowing these things philosophically is nice, but it really helps to see concrete examples. My friend Robin points out just such an example in the Polish Solidarity revolt, which got the momentum rolling for the collapse of the Soviet Empire. The method was so simple, yet so profound:

I learned during my 1986 visit that five years after the regime’s harsh crackdown, Poles were dodging and weaving around the Jaruzelski regime in ways that almost defied imagination. Shortages of basic foodstuffs, double-digit inflation, and a powerful secret police did not deter them from creating thriving black markets and flourishing private institutions, from radio to theaters to publishing houses and schools. Solidarity’s Wiktor Kulerski had sketched the outlines of Polish resistance a few years before when he wrote, “This movement should create a situation in which authorities will control empty stores, but not the market; the employment of workers, but not their livelihood; the official media, but not the circulation of information; printing plants, but not the publishing movement; the mail and telephones, but not communications; and the school system, but not education.”

Some of this is reflected in my Biblical Rebellion series. The fundamental lesson is an illegitimate government should be treated as illegitimate. You may have no practical means to actively fight back, and the New Testament warns it’s pointless in the first place. Rather, simply live as God intended and He’ll support it according to His own plans. His plans are generally supportive, while specifics of timing and particular movements of history may leave us unable to see it in our specific situations. That’s the somewhat mystical viewpoint of Scripture itself, which does not wait for evidence of the rational sort to back up an eternal declaration from God. When things have gone wrong for such a very long time, as they have here in the U.S., turning to righteousness is at first a desperate act of revolution. We see with spiritual eyes the goal is not for our immediate existence. Rather, we immerse ourselves in something far bigger than ourselves.

Yet, we also find reliable reports God does support these kinds of revolts. You may not see your children walk in proper liberty, nor necessarily they their own children. At the same time, God responds almost immediately in small ways if you look for them. He always grants enough to match the needs of your faith.

Today is the day. When any political force promotes evil, you don’t really have to attack. Just refuse to cooperate; do what you know you must to have peace in your own conscience. It surely helps if you have taken the time to examine your convictions, so you have a good idea what it is you must do to have peace. Now is a good time to start.

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The Dangers of Orthodoxy

Posted on October 2, 2009 by ehurst

We have this fancy word — “orthodoxy” — which means a generally approved teaching, and implies a generally approved thinking. It assumes an authority among men which promotes and defends correct teaching and thinking. The claim also includes the assertion such “right thinking” cannot be questioned. The question for you and I is not whether to embrace any orthodoxy, but the approach we use to question it. The means of enforcing adherence to any orthodoxy is all we need to know.

Let’s back up just a moment and refresh what lies behind my approach. Truth is a Person — God Almighty. It is utterly false and misleading to envision truth as some disembodied thing detached from God’s person. It remains utterly dependent on Him. A thing is true only insofar as it reflects His revelation, and His revelation of Himself is as much as we can know about ultimate reality. Human intellect cannot fathom truth, only abstract certain material observations. Ultimate truth is perceived, not in the intellect, but in the spirit. Both the matter and faculty of Ultimate Truth is outside the intellect, and can only be a matter of spirit, though the intellect can be harnessed to serve the spirit. We might discuss academically the existence and content of an orthodoxy, a word implying Truth, but we cannot hope to nail it down concretely. It’s not an abstract thing, but a matter of living loyalty. Humans rightly evaluate declarations on orthodoxy in their spirits, as a matter of internal conviction. They discern that along with any implied compliance with orders from a human authority, but rational logic alone is insufficient for the task.

So obviously I take most orthodoxies as self-important puffery. Equally obvious is my recommendation you take the same approach. For example, the official orthodoxy regarding AIDS. From the very first, it smelled rotten to me. There were serious questions, but the questioners were hushed, marginalized, and persecuted. There was nothing remotely honest nor honorable about the parties pressing the orthodoxy. It was downright oppressive, and this was the primary evidence it was all a big lie. So now comes this marvelous exposé. If you can’t get the film, there’s this excellent review. In essence, the whole thing was a hoax designed to keep the CDC from being shut down. Since they can’t get the facts straight, it’s only natural they create a huge lie, with a harshly enforced orthodoxy, and which happens to harness itself to another evil orthodoxy for support. So naturally the MSM refuses to note any question without painting it as somehow evil. It’s rather like Satan castigating someone for lying.

The basic ANE approach — the biblical approach — is to tolerate such idiocy when it doesn’t get in the way. At some point, it becomes necessary to point out the lies. You and I both know the sheeple are unlikely to accept our message, but that’s not our problem. It’s God’s problem, and He can handle it just fine. In this case, the underlying issue is the US government, and most other human governments in the world today, have demonstrated an utter lack of interest in real science and medicine. Noting such things as vitamins and herbs will do more to help you fight the flu than any vaccine is a threat to government power. Mainstream medicine is primarily the result of doctors who are simply union thugs in disguise, and the AMA is merely a commercial monopoly interest. They are the loudest and most threatening voices on the stage, so real physicians are intimidated into silence, when they aren’t so utterly fooled they don’t know the difference. Nurses, if anything, tend to be worse.

You are on your own. Does that scare you? Does that make you feel impotent against the vast horde of information out there, which you face with insufficient means to sort through it all? Sorry, but reality sucks. It’s not as if you can’t work to form a community of balanced expertise in the various specialties, but you can’t afford to simply walk into any doctor’s office and expect those certificates on the wall to really mean much. Instead of settling the issue for human safety, the medical system has long ago become what it claims to replace, so that medical orthodoxy is often a bigger danger than the so-called quacks. This is true of almost every regulated activity. We have come to the place when precious few government agencies can be trusted for anything at all. If there’s any chance the profit motive can touch any part of the process, it will be corrupted without fail.

In this world today, orthodoxy of any kind should be the first indicator something shady is at work.

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Torture: Not Just Demons

Posted on October 1, 2009 by ehurst

Hopefully I made clear the number one issue with torture is it invites demons into the process. We have enough of them running free in US government already, thank you. However, it does not require believing in demons to see how foolish torture is on a purely human level. I’ll be citing my own years of study in psychology, so there won’t be any links. Those who know will recognize the truth.

HuffPo isn’t my favorite source for much of anything, but facts are facts. What we have here is the lucid statements of a federal judge, not some whining activist. In the case of one Guantánamo prisoner, it becomes all too clear the US government had no intention of finding truth. The issue of sleep deprivation, for example, is sheer meanness. It is well established using this will get you a subject who suffers delusions, because their brain is unable to differentiate between reality, clear memory, and fictional contents. The barriers of definition are broken down, and the sense of personal identity fades to insignificance. A sleep deprived subject is living inside their own nightmares, where anything at all is possible, except reality itself. Since I know that, there is no reason to think the information was not available to the torturers at Guantánamo. The interrogators didn’t want information, they wanted a pile of documented manure to excuse evil intentions elsewhere.

There is nothing in here about any possibility of honest intent. No human walking on this earth is capable of dissecting the garbage coming out of sleep deprivation unless they already know enough they don’t need to interrogate in the first place. What we are left with is sheer demonic hateful abuse. If we have to use torture to win, we deserve to lose, because we have already lost. If we pay men and women to conduct such hideous operations, we are doomed already. The “enemy” holds the moral high ground.

Americans, we are supporting the greatest evil stalking this earth.

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Hardin, MT: Black Ops Takeover? (Updated)

Posted on September 30, 2009 by ehurst

A little town out near Billings, MT. They were railroaded into approving a huge private prison complex, but they never got any contracts. So somebody made of with lots of loot on a municipal bond issue and the city is on the verge of defaulting. Then along comes a rescue. But the rescue is shrouded in secrecy, and the rescuer is all too willing to break the law. This thing is morphing faster than any of us in Internet Land can follow.

The basic story: American Police Force is anything but American, it appears. Someone calling herself a teenage resident says the apparent head of the group speaks poor English with a strong Slavic accent. They refuse to operate in the clear, and the city cabal with them is at least as bad.

More on the story. Lots of sweetheart deals to keep the city cabal supporting the move, and to keep the citizens quiet. Check the comments section for some interesting additions.

Recent MSM report: The APF was patrolling the city for awhile with vehicles marked as police patrol cars. Someone in city government seems to have been suspended for authorizing that. Meanwhile, the comments reflect rising tensions.

I can’t pretend to know just how sinister this really is. The prison itself was a big mistake for the city. Not only were they in a bind, but it made them vulnerable. The entire prison industry in the US is the other half of the War on Drugs, two sides of a deal which never had anything to do with the very real threat of substance abuse, but with making billions by milking the fears of taxpayers. Hardin was suckered into that mess, and now Satan has a castle on their lawn, so to speak. When some black ops arms dealer comes along with sweet promises, they jump on it. I’m sure the townfolk are at least somewhat divided over this whole mess. Obviously neither they, nor we as outsiders watching, can see the whole picture.

APF has already proved themselves lawless. They are at least as dangerous to citizens and rights as Xe (AKA Blackwater), reflecting the elitist Brownshirt mentality. That sort of folks are why Nazi Germany was not the first, nor the last horrific swamp of human evil to foul the face of the earth. Call it a Godwin if you like, but history is loaded with other, less famous examples. Mr. Prince and his ilk are more like the movie depictions of the Antichrist — people who take advantage of spiritual ignorance, a complete misunderstanding of Christ and His mission, and convince folks Satan’s plans are God’s.

By no means should we speculate this is somehow a symbolic anchor point for martial law. We are already part way under martial law, as it has been slowly drifting across the sky for some decades. If this APF fiasco were happening in other places I’ve lived, there would have already been bloodshed. At the very least, some enterprising patriot types would have been sniping the thugs, and perhaps the cabal in Hardin’s municipal government, too. If somewhere along this insane path, someone from APF gets trigger happy, we’ll know just how awful it can be. The real story is just how likely it is your municipal government, or mine, will sell us out for their own personal benefit. People who want power over others cannot ever be called good or decent, and God forbid we ever get stupid enough to call them honest.

Satan is roaming to and fro, seeking whom he may devour. He is a toothless old lion, roaring to scare folks into laying down so he can simply swallow them whole.

Update (01 October 2009): It appears the whole thing will collapse on the identity of the man running APF, Michael Hilton. He has a large number of aliases, along with a very long criminal and civil record of frauds of all kinds. Since he has yet to satisfy some $1 million dollars in judgments against him, we can assume this whole thing will go nowhere unless he finds or has found a really big sugar daddy somewhere. Authoritative details here.

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Last One

Posted on September 29, 2009 by ehurst

This is it. I’m not going to chase any more predictions of doom and gloom. From here on out, the only thing I’ll have to say about government will be entirely academic, historical, or real time events as I see them. Speculation I may report from others if it looks really strong, but I’m not going to discuss my theories of doom-n-gloom.

The time for theory and predictions is over. It’s here, and it’s either happening or it’s not.

So for my last predictions, let’s establish my underlying assumption about which I will not debate, nor attempt to prove: Government spokesmen are liars, and government announcements of any type are lies. It may turn out some of the content is factual, but anything which really matters is almost invariably a deception. Government is lying on just about everything.

Perhaps you know there is the seasonal flu vaccine already available from various suppliers right now, and it is not the Swine Flu (H1N1) vaccine, which is another round of stuff coming to the US sometime in the next two weeks. But it may not matter much that there are two different vaccines, because the current seasonal vaccine is so reliably harmful, we can consider it typical for people receiving it to become quite ill. I say if you accept that vaccine, you are a fool. You’ll be an even bigger fool if you take the Swine Flu vaccine later in October/November.

Consider this: The US federal and some individual state governments have already made preparations to reduce quality standards for these vaccines. For example, Washington state has dropped the mercury contamination threshold because they already know the vaccines will contain a dangerously high mercury content, in the form of thimerosal. As far as I know, it is not possible to introduce mercury into the body in any form which will not be toxic, and there is actually no safe threshold. Then there’s the squalene, and an increasing likelihood the Swine Flu vaccine is nothing of the kind, but is actually a toxic cocktail designed to sicken, sterilize, cripple, and kill all who receive it. It may well contain actual viruses, and there is reason to believe it will be included with an injected RFID — without notice. Most diabolical of all is these effects won’t be seen for some weeks or months later in most cases. Yes, I’m telling you I am utterly convinced those in the government pushing this vaccine have evil motives, and hope to see the residents of this nation harmed.

As the noise concerning forced inoculations becomes louder, you will notice not once has anyone in government denied it. You’ll find record of health officials saying it should be voluntary, but you won’t find anyone trying to reassure the population it won’t be forced. Instead, we have dozens of leaks indicating it will not only be forced, it will be utterly shocking in brutality. If you manage to avoid the shot, you’ll be taken by bus to a quarantine camp, a concentration camp. You’ll be treated poorly, fed even worse, and generally feel like an enemy POW. Picture yourself confined in that dome in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but without the facilities. At least, this is the current understanding of what is planned.

It may not happen that way in every place. Indeed, I strongly expect a lot of armed folks will respond violently. That means dead troops and cops, along with various health professionals. I’m quite certain various government officials know this, but all too many will do it any way. It’s just the same with a lot of other unspeakably insane things done by government officials here in the US. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and soon Iran — every bit of it based on lies. We have troops in Afghanistan guarding heroin poppy fields. We have already killed more Iraqis than Hussein could ever dream of killing. Meanwhile, we have the various national clandestine services keeping the action going by hiring “terrorists” in Iraq and Pakistan, and they are funding and arming the Taliban. The mythical al-Qaeda is nothing more than a CIA-Mossad-MI6 operation. Here at home, cops sent in provocateurs during recent protests to act with violence so as to justify violence against the protesters. So look for some of the same stupid crap to take place as people attempt to peacefully avoid the vaccines. Someone will pretend to be an anti-government terrorist and will spark violence, justifying an unconscionable crack-down, which will force liberty-minded people to fight back.

And it will all justify yet more lies to herd the entire population into martial law.

So if any of this happens in even one location in the US, I won’t be quite such an idiot, or nut-case, or whatever you want to call it. If no part of this seems to be coming by mid-October, I’m closing this blog. At that point, it won’t make any difference with what goes on inside my head, but there won’t be any point in writing about it. But if much of it happens at all, I may not be able to blog anyway. Either way, I’m through with chasing possibilities. Come back tomorrow and I’ll either tell you of dire events actually happening, or we’ll talk about Linux, Noah, or whatever strikes my fancy.

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Poke `Em in the Eye

Posted on September 27, 2009 by ehurst

I won’t pretend I can stop the steamroller of oppression, but I look forward to poking the operator in the eye.

I suppose it’s just possible a few states, or perhaps a few scattered enclaves, could mount an effective resistance to the looming police state. They could refuse to cooperate, and probably make it stick. Within the boundaries they could defend, they would be free. Indeed, we should not discount the possibility a large portion of folks in North America could simply refuse to be part of that future Agenda 21. So we could see Washington DC cut loose and lots of folks just refusing to refer to the denizens as their government.

But I doubt it. It’s just possible the Heartland and Mountain States will show a lot of resistance, but I’m betting they aren’t keeping full track of what’s going on inside Iron Mountain. In my mind, I’m preparing myself for the worst. That’s not some sort of capitulation, but I’m just not worried about it. Only if my mission from God is hindered would I consider taking some action. That is, hindered in such a way I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to act in some way. God is calling the shots, literally as well as figuratively. My mission is not armed opposition to what’s around the corner.

However, my mission will surely include some entertaining efforts to evade some controls. For example, I’m seriously praying for a future home on wheels. I’d really love to live in a motor home, or a decent trailer with a tow vehicle. Efforts by census takers have morphed into a full inventory of all the details of your existence which bureaucrats consider pertinent to their job of controlling you. It’s awfully intrusive, and lays the foundation for oppressive controls. Oh, you work in the school cafeteria? Welcome to your new job as prison cook, or Army field cook. Once they have control of all that data, don’t think they won’t use it against you. And they are already using field agents to tag the front door of every dwelling, knocking on the doors of every garage, barn, shack, lean-to, and tent. If you move a great deal, or at least can, it will be awfully hard for them to track you. Poke `em in the eye.

How about not having an official job? Do you have some skills and tools allowing you to work at several different jobs, pretty much when you feel like it? That would be a great way to do things. Tell them anything you like: “I’m a professional rabbit hunter.” Or, “I make my living cutting down rose bushes.” Another favorite here in Oklahoma is a very plausible, “I’m a storm chaser.” Maybe you could be a thistle farmer, cricket rancher, baby stroller repairman … you name it. As long as you can work for yourself, and can’t be caught for not paying taxes, you can claim just about anything you like.

The fewer connections between you and the bureaucratic anchors of the system, the better. So if you really need a phone, use the pay-as-you-go cellphones. The minutes aren’t too bad, and you can replace it as often as you need a different number, since the phones have gotten pretty cheap. Get an old laptop and cadge the signal from unsecured nodes, or use the local library for Net time. Exchange PGP/GnuPG keys and encrypt random routine traffic. Did you know there is an extension for Firefox which allows you to encrypt webmail? If it really matters, you can arrange to exchange a one-time-pad set and run that through email. You’ll need a common numbered dictionary, but that’s in the works. Or you can always go back to the Citizen Band (CB) radio way, with your private slang terms. It won’t really matter if you exchange information that has to be kept away from public eyes, just using that stuff for fun (or practice) is a poke in the eye.

Of course, if you find yourself unable to escape that nasty census form, just lie. Tell them you are a lesbian Inuit, 87 years old, with 10 grandchildren of mixed races living in your home. A sin to lie? Pearls before swine. Since they would use the facts as a weapon against you and your Kingdom service, deny them the facts. This is covered under the Covenant of Noah, too. The US government, and the coming UN government, are all illegitimate. Humor them when it suits the mission, but otherwise be prepared to poke `em in the eye, to remind them they aren’t gods.

(Hopefully you can detect the sarcasm mixed in here.)

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Speculation for Fun and Entertainment

Posted on September 26, 2009 by ehurst

Let’s dream for a moment.

Let’s dream this flu shot noise is not just a trick, but is multiple tricks. On the one hand, it’s a trick to get people in a panic rush — that is, the ordinary koolaid drinkers who watch mainstream news on TV and such. Get them to line up and take the poison. Never mind how many billions are scraped off the taxpayers, enough for Big Pharma to come back and spread fat “campaign contributions” to your Congressperson.

Now, let’s suppose there is another trick to it, though. Let’s dream TPTB know a bunch of us won’t line up. So they leak it here and there they’re planning to force it, but never officially discuss it. Alongside the flu hysteria they are building an anti-vaccine hysteria. On purpose. And make sure it really looks like they are planning it.

Who would notice if they slipped around and pulled some other stunt? Perhaps use the entire mess, both sides, to create such an awful noise, it covers for some truly awful act. Hmmm. What might that be?

Oh, by the way, did you know it’s just possible, in theory, for the US government to pull out of this depression in the next year? They could get a bunch of other nations to agree with them at the same time to repudiate all national debts. Since most of the bonds, bill, etc., are held by other nations, all holding each others’ debts, they could agree to go that way. It would be painful, but probably the least painful of all options. For one thing, the entire middle class world wide would take a hit. You know, every insurance company, every pension company, and a whole bunch of other companies, are heavily vested in worthless mortgage derivatives. Lots of companies which really don’t do anything but take your money and help you fulfill government mandates will have to close up shop. Everybody’s pension goes away. Savings go poof, along with all 401Ks, etc.

Then, these governments would agree to all get together and support the issue of a new global currency. Future payments from the governments, at least, would be in the new currency. How nice. But what you might not realize is a huge number of companies will close, and even more people would be out of work. Except, the government will no longer be sinking under that massive debt load, so they could afford to front-load a recovery. Yeah, they can start all over again borrowing. Of course, just about the only source of income for anyone will be a government job. In a sense, I suppose, that means everyone who wants to eat will have to seek government assistance, but that means turning yourself over for forced job assistance. Don’t forget, they’ll be needing several hundred thousand new troops real soon now.

And they’ll need lots of people to work the new government-owned industries forced to close, or those the government buys to keep them alive. Since all those mortgages get bailed out, the government will own all the real estate. But, hey, you’ll be back to work … for whatever the government decides you should be paid. And no more benefits than they please to grant. Wherever it is they want you to work. At whatever it is they want you to do.

And as a part of this really cool deal with other nations, a whole bunch of federal lands, and newly obtain federal land confiscations, get turned over to the UN. And folks get driven off their property. And on and on it goes. Try looking it up. I think it’s called Agenda 21. The details are mind-numbingly long and complicated, but it amounts to enslaving the entire world under UN communist control. Government gets to decide whether you even will wear underwear, what type, color and size.

Let’s pretend it won’t matter all the other issues like the flu vaccine, more wars, Global Warming, etc. It’s all just bits and pieces of something far, far bigger. Welcome to the New World Order, citizen. Or is that, Brave New World? I forget. My dreams keep getting mixed up in one big nightmare. You can’t click your red shoes, Dorothy, because Toto is dead and those are chains on your legs.

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That Was Fun

Posted on September 25, 2009 by ehurst

So playing with the old Pavilion 542x was fun, even educational. In the end, Windows is about the only thing you can run on it and expect the ACPI to work. At all. With Win2K it runs just about as fast as it once did with XP back in 2002 when it was brand new, given I have doubled the RAM since then.

My daughter needs a computer and this one will have to do. She can get Cox Cable Internet where she lives, and we hope to have it soon, ourselves. They are just about the best in this part of the country.

When I got Win2K working, it was useful for about one day. Then I went back to my trusty old Inspirion 4100 laptop, still running CentOS 5.

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Responding to Official Arrogance

Posted on September 24, 2009 by ehurst

What’s it to you?

I’ve written before there is a thread in the Covenant of Noah which permits some armed response to oppression. The point is not so much self-defense, but removing a threat to the community. That assumes you have first already done all you can to build the sense of community which calls for protection. You cannot arbitrarily decide this or that person is a thug from which the community should be protected when you hardly know your neighbor’s name. My point was there is no real difference between the official government and any unofficial de facto government. All humans and organizations stand on trial before God and have to justify what they do. To the degree folks observe the Covenant of Laws, the rightness or wrongness of violent action becomes obvious.

The Liberty Movement is a very broad and diverse bunch. They range between the respectful but honest all the way down to anarchists plotting mischief and mayhem. Most of them assume varying degrees of legitimacy in the US Constitution, or at the very least, the presumed theories behind it. I admit no such thing; the whole thing starts on the wrong foot, coming out of the Enlightenment. By the same token, I have no interest in presuming to correct those who transgress such Enlightenment ideals. When some malignant, odious arrogant law officer is way out of bounds, I suffer no compulsion to help him find a better understanding by seeking an opportunity to put him in his place. This puts me at odds with virtually the entire Liberty Movement.

My service in the Realm of the Spirit (AKA Kingdom of God) puts that mission above all other concerns. There is neither a presumption of obsequious bowing nor truculent resistance, nor anything in between. All my responses are opportunistic for Christ. Whatever best matches the needs of the mission at hand is what I’ll do. I’ve already discussed how that could result in summary slaughter of some official, in the case of protecting a child from the soul-twisting exercise of government “protection,” however unlikely that may be. At other times it would appear I bow the servile knee to some walking doughnut bag wearing a badge.

Much as I would like to ensure first their relationship with Christ, it’s not always an option. Indeed, I am often compelled to remind many American Christians we are not gospel automatons, and the notion we have to preach a sermon to every warm body we pass is a fleshly delusion of Satan designed to destroy the gospel. God is not a stone statue who always wants precisely the same thing in every encounter, but lives and breathes and sometimes moves in our spirits to simply act the gospel wordlessly. In such circumstances, all the other issues really don’t matter. My life and honor also don’t count for much.

What matters is the calling and mission of God, and we can’t pretend a nickle-bag of Christ is all the understanding we need. This is all or nothing, and no one of us, nor all of us together, can hope to predict with any degree of certainty what God will demand of us in the next few minutes. As surely as we understand God does not use cookie cutters in mass producing an army of soul-clones with all one mission and method for shining His light of revelation, so we are not all called to share the gospel with every human we meet. Sometimes you have to defend whatever your mission is. While I find the notion of having to use force repulsive, my conscience is clear when I consider the possibility of it. That said, the likelihood is tiny, since God tends to protect His mission Himself. That’s the whole point of Noah: If you live right, God is pleased to prevent most trouble and allow only selected trials as your primary witness of His power in you.

So when responding to some dink, who probably really needs and deserves to have his teeth kicked down his throat, his problem is not my problem. If he wants to be an ass, what’s it to me? I have more important things to worry about. The primary victory is not in fixing his problem, but by coming away unaffected.

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